Heating appliances



June 23, 1964 J. E. TAYLOR 3,138,699

HEATING APPLIANCES Filed Nov. 2, 1960 \Nv ENTOR Jab N [OW/N 74 m 0K WMaM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,138,699 HEATING APPLIANCES John Edwin Taylor, Sunnymead, Upton Lane, Barnwood, England Filed Nov. 2, 1960, Ser. No. 66,880 Claims priority, application Great Britain Mar. 16, 1960 2 Claims. (Cl. 219-621) This invention relates to heating appliances which are particularly useful for drying or airing fabric or like articles.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple and improved heating appliance suitable for the above purpose.

According to the invention a heating appliance comprises a support member having an upper external surface to receive a fabric or like article to be aired or dried, said surface including two mutually inclined portions meeting in an apical ridge, at least one of said portions sloping downwardly from the ridge, and a heat source arranged to heat said surface.

Preferably the mutually inclined portions are arranged about the vertical plane containing said ridge which may have a rounded cross-section. The mutually inclined portions may be convex and, in a vertical cross-section transverse to the apical ridge, the mutually inclined surface portions and the apical ridge may define an inverted parabolic shape.

Some of said external surface, for example said mutually inclined portions, may be ribbed or corrugated, and preferably the ribs or corrugations are parallel to said ridge. The heat source may be an electric heating element, for example an electric light bulb, and the support member may be arranged so that it substantially totally encloses the heat source.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a perspective view of a heating appliance embodying the invention and shows the appliance about to be received on a supporting bracket.

Referring now to the drawing, a sheet metal envelope 5, having a transverse cross-section which is of approximately inverted parabolic shape, is closed at the bottom by a baseplate 4 and at its ends by endplates 6 and 7. The sides of the envelope, which provides a support member for an article to be dried, are mutually inclined and meet in an apical ridge along the top of the envelope. The side portions are convex and are corrugated as indicated at 9, the corrugations extending parallel to the apical ridge. A carrying handle 10 is arranged on the apical ridge of the envelope.

An electric light socket 1 holding an electric light bulb 2 is secured to the inner surface of a door 3 closing an aperture in the baseplate 4 in such manner as to give ready access for replacement of the bulb; the supply cable for the bulb is brought out through a hole 8 in the endplate 6.

If it is desired to mount the appliance upon a wall, a wall bracket 11 is provided which comprises a plate 11a with fixing holes 12 and a hook 13 of circular cross-section extending therefrom. The hook is arranged to pass through a hole 14 in the baseplate 4 and to be received in a vertically arrangedtube 15 within the envelope, the top 16 of the tube being flattened and spot-welded to the envelope 5. This arrangement enables the appliance to be lifted instantly off the bracket 11 for portable use elsewhere.

Patented June 23, 1964 The main use of the appliance is as a drier or airer for fabric or like articles deposited thereon. Thus articles such as, for example, wet or damp towels, tea cloths or items of clothing are spread out over the ridge of the support member and hang down therefrom so that they are in contact with the inclined surfaces of the envelope throughout the height of the latter. The articles are dried effectively by reason of the high rate of moisture evaporation caused by their intimate contact with the external surface of the support member which is permitted by the shape of the envelope; the rate of evaporation is enhanced by air currents set up within the corrugations. The appliance is also suitable for use as a low power space heater, for example for conservatories or glasshouses.

Preferably the electric light bulb 2 is of the carbon filament type which gives a greater heat output than a Wire filament bulb; the bulb may be replaced by any other suitable form of electric heating element. Rheostatic or other control means may be provided to control the heat output of the electric heating element employed.

I claim:

1. A heating appliance adapted to support a fabric article to be warmed and comprising a heat source, an envelope of inverted substantially U shape in cross-section within which the heat source is arranged and on which the article can be draped, said envelope being closed at each end and having ribs extending from end to end and which, when the appliance is in use, extend in a horizontal direction parallel to the apex of the U; and means for detachably mounting the appliance to project from a surface with said ribs extending horizontally therefrom, comprising a bracket having a hook portion and adapted for attachment to the surface and a socket member to receive said hook portion in the form of a tube arranged substantially vertically within the appliance at one end of the latter to enable the appliance to be lifted off said bracket for portable use.

2. A heating appliance adapted to support a fabric article to be warmed and means for mounting the appliance to project horizontally from a surface, comprising a heat source, an envelope of inverted substantially U shape in cross-section within which said heat source is arranged and on which said article can be draped, said envelope being closed at each end and at the bottom by a baseplate so that the heat source is totally enclosed and having ribs extending from end to end which, when the appliance is mounted, extend in a horizontal direction parallel to the apex of the U, a mounting bracket having a hook portion and adapted for attachment to said surface and a tubular socket member to receive said hook portion arranged substantially vertically within said envelope at one end of the latter to enable the appliance to be lifted off said bracket for portable use, said baseplate being suitably apertured to receive said hook portion so that the latter can enter said socket member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 805,145 Lewis Nov. 21, 1905 852,759 Bergener May 7, 1907 905,159 Dunham Dec. 1, 1908 1,782,825 Holinger Nov. 25, 1930 1,914,190 Herr June 13, 1933 1,994,284 Martinek Mar. 12, 1935 (Other references on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 2,530,058 'Hebard Nov. 14, 1950 77,303 Netherlands Feb. 15, 1955 2,616,024 Laibow Oct. 28, 1952 341,582 Switzerland Nov. 30, 1959 2,771,690 Jauzac Nov. 27, 1956 353,841 Great Britain printed 1931 2,815,585 Thompson Dec. 10, 1957 5 638,203 Great Britain June 7, 1950 2,939,383 Kanaga June 7, 1960 795,463 Great Britain May 21, 1958 2,947,843 Burman et a1; Aug. 2, 1960 888,623 France Sept. 13, 1943 

1. A HEATING APPLIANCE ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A FABRIC ARTICLE TO BE WARMED AND COMPRISING A HEAT SOURCE, AN ENVELOPE OF INVERTED SUBSTANTIALLY U SHAPE IN CROSS-SECTION WITHIN WHICH THE HEAT SOURCE IS ARRANGED AND ON WHICH THE ARTICLE CAN BE DRAPED, SAID ENVELOPE BEING CLOSED AT EACH END AND HAVING RIBS EXTENDING FROM END TO END AND WHICH, WHEN THE APPLIANCE IS IN USE, EXTEND IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE APEX OF THE U; AND MEANS FOR DETACHABLY MOUNTING THE APPLIANCE TO PROJECT FROM A SURFACE WITH SAID RIBS EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY THEREFROM, COMPRISING A BRACKET HAVING A HOOK PORTION AND ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE SURFACE AND A SOCKET MEMBER TO RECEIVE SAID HOOK PORTION IN THE FORM OF A TUBE ARRANGED SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY WITHIN THE APPLIANCE AT ONE END OF THE LATTER TO ENABLE THE APPLIANCE TO BE LIFTED OFF SAID BRACKET FOR PORTABLE USE. 